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Eswatini (Labotsibeni Mdluli)
Eswatini led by Labotsibeni Mdluli is a custom civilization mod by DuskJockey, with contributions from DMS, Chrisy15, and DarthKyofu. This mod requires Brave New World. It is part of the 12 Days of Africa event. Overview 'Eswatini' The Kingdom of Eswatini is a landlocked country in the eastern flank of South Africa, where it adjoins Mozambique. It is also notable for being one of the last absolute monarchies in the world. Eswatini is ruled by a diarchy composed of the Ngwenyama ("lion"), the king and legislative head of state, and the Ndlovukati ("she-elephant"), the queen mother and national head of state, serving as keeper of the ritual fetishes of the nation and presiding during the annual Umhlanga rite. Labotsibeni Mdluli As queen mother and regent of the Kingdom of Swaziland (now known as Eswatini), Labotsibeni laMdluli transcended the usual powers allowed to women in her society, grasped the benefits of Western influence, and helped lay the foundations for her country as a nation state. Labotsibeni Mdluli was born in Swaziland to the northern Mdluli clan, which was distinguished for its skill in military intelligence. She was born while her father, Matsanjana Mdluli, was at war in a dispute with chief Tsibeni of the baPedi. Despite the circumstances of her birth, she lived a life dedicated to preventing war, but would be linked to her father's former adversary through her name, Labotsibeni. Following the death of her father she moved with her uncle Mvelase Mdluli to the royal homestead at Ludzidzini in the Ezulwini Valley, central Swaziland. It was there that she received some training in statecraft from the old queen mother, Thandzile, widow of King Sobhuza I and mother of Mswati II. She and Mswati were eventually married, and she assumed the role of Queen Regent in 1890 upon the her husband's death, because her subjects felt that the natural heirs were neither ready nor suitable to govern. Labotsibeni's ascension to the throne was rather atypical, as Swazi traditional laws did not allow a woman in her situation to rule, and her clan, Mdluli, was not next in line to rule. In spite of this, she was chosen because of her outstanding intelligence, ability, character, and experience. Labotsibeni spent her entire tenure as monarch contesting British claims to the land of her people and tried to buy back land that her husband had given as concessions to the Boers and the British in a complicated system of assigning land, grazing pasture and mining rights. The Land Partition Proclamation of 1909 left the Swazis in control of only about one third of their country. Labotsibeni acknowledged that she could not retake the land militarily, and that the land had become a commodity to buy and sell on an open market. Her anti-land alienation campaign coincided with the African struggle against the 1913 Natives Land Act in South Africa, and Labotsibeni helped raise money to send the delegation of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) to Britain in 1914. Labotsibeni and Crown Prince Sobhuza (later King Sobhuza II) provided the initial funds to set up the SANNC newspaper, Abantu-Batho. In recognition of her contribution, Labotsibeni would subsequently be elected as an SANNC Deputy President. Labotsibeni believed strongly in the power of education and the importance of literacy for a twentieth-century head of state. As a result, despite the opposition of elders and the Swazi aristocracy, she arranged that a school be established in Zombodze and had the best tutors from Natal teach the crown prince. As a result, in 1921 Swaziland had a monarch who had received more formal education than several African heads of state at the end of the colonial era in the 1960s. Queen Labotsibeni died in Embekelweni, then the Swazi national capital. She was given the name Gwamile, 'The Indomitable One', by her Swazi subjects in recognition of her ability to contain colonial encroachment and to defend Swazi independence and culture. 'Dawn of Man' "Hail, Labotsibeni Mdluli, queen mother of Eswatini! Truly do the clouds and the rain arrive at your command! You lead a proud and storied people. The Swazi arrived in the lands near South Africa in the 17th century, carving out a magnificent kingdom in the midst of the African wilds. Though the Swazis succumbed to foreign rule after the Boer wars, their warrior spirit remained undiminished. You championed the cause of freedom for your nation, laying the foundation for the reclamation of lands lost by your forebears and bringing modernity to a much oppressed people. Indomitable Labotsibeni, your children struggle without their great mother. Can you seize the reins of leadership and defend the Swazi patrimony against foreign encroachment? Can you bring the blessed rains to your lands and steer the Swazis to the future? Can you create a civilization to stand the test of time?" Introduction: "Hail, foreigner, and welcome to Eswatini. I, Labotsibeni, her queen, extend my greeting." Defeat: "Long may your lands swelter and your peoples starve for this abominable act." Unique Attributes Strategy Eswatini is one of those Civs that just thrives by hyperfocusing aggression. Equal parts highly expansionistic and relentlessly militaristic, the UU being a Great General makes going Honor early on a semi- viable strategy (especially given the rather excellent bonus of giving adjacent melee units the bonus from the Impi), and there’s plenty of ways to generate Great Generals with the UA. It’s also a wholly viable aggressive Tradition Civilization. All you know is that you’ll want to be pummeling your enemies into submission, because there’s not much to do other than that. So, as always, the best pick for this battering ram is Autocracy. Music Mod Support Full Credits List *''DuskJockey'': Design, code, art *''Chrisy15'': C15 Iterator pack, code *''DMS'': Art *''Darthstarkiller'': Art *''Sukritact'': Modular City Info Stack *''Stephen J. Anderson'': Music *''Andries de Haan'': Music Category:DuskJockey Category:12 Days of Africa Category:Civilizations with Female leaders Category:Bantu Cultures Category:All Civilizations